Sochi skating costumes: Best and worst

February 19, 2014 5:30 PM

Photo: Tony Duffy/Getty Images

Image 1of/30

Caption

Close

Image 1 of 30

WORST: Ashley Wagner of the U.S. nails it again -- not a great performance, but a skating outfit that is downright tacky, if not garish. Yes, the music was "Samson and Delilah," so she gets a pass on the rhinestones, but this rubber ducky yellow does not do her any favors with her pale skin tone. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/MCT) less

WORST: Ashley Wagner of the U.S. nails it again -- not a great performance, but a skating outfit that is downright tacky, if not garish. Yes, the music was "Samson and Delilah," so she gets a pass on the ... more

Photo: Brian Cassella, McClatchy-Tribune News Service

WORST: Ashley Wagner of the U.S. nails it again -- not a great... Photo-5944551.80334 - NewsTimes

BEST: South Korea's Yuna Kim radiates quiet elegance in a chartreuse, beautifully fitted dress with beaded torso and bell sleeves during the women's short program Feb. 19, to the music "Where are the Clowns?" (Photo Alexander Demianchuk) less

BEST: South Korea's Yuna Kim radiates quiet elegance in a chartreuse, beautifully fitted dress with beaded torso and bell sleeves during the women's short program Feb. 19, to the music "Where are the Clowns?" ... more

BEST: Ethereal best describes this dress, worn by Carolina Kostner of Italy, who competed in the team program on Feb. 8. The skirt is long enough to flow but not overly long and out of proportion, like some other skaters. less

BEST: Ethereal best describes this dress, worn by Carolina Kostner of Italy, who competed in the team program on Feb. 8. The skirt is long enough to flow but not overly long and out of proportion, like some ... more

WORST: Love the color, chiffon-like fabrics and sheer beaded netting from neck to bodice on Mao Asada tonight (Feb. 19) but this skating dress does not fit properly, and at times, the decollete looked so low that it appeared she was on the verge of a wardrobe malfunction. less

WORST: Love the color, chiffon-like fabrics and sheer beaded netting from neck to bodice on Mao Asada tonight (Feb. 19) but this skating dress does not fit properly, and at times, the decollete looked so low ... more

WORST: Ashley Wagner has been quoted as saying she wants to look sexy, but the look with this plunging V-neck, worn in the team competition Feb. 8, veers into Las Vegas showgirl territory. Save it for the Ice Follies. less

WORST: Ashley Wagner has been quoted as saying she wants to look sexy, but the look with this plunging V-neck, worn in the team competition Feb. 8, veers into Las Vegas showgirl territory. Save it for the Ice ... more

Photo: Matthew Stockman, Getty Images

WORST: Ashley Wagner has been quoted as saying she wants to look... Photo-5944557.80334 - NewsTimes

Image 9 of 30

BEST: Red contrasting with the black gloves and black filmy edge to Julia Lipnitskaya's skirt is striking -- and fits the sense of whimsy and impishness you want to see in a 15-year-old. Here, she skates in the team competition on Feb. 9. less

BEST: Red contrasting with the black gloves and black filmy edge to Julia Lipnitskaya's skirt is striking -- and fits the sense of whimsy and impishness you want to see in a 15-year-old. Here, she skates in ... more

WORST: Love the colors on Mao Asada of Japan in the team skate on Feb. 8, but the neckline's too bare and the floral appliques on the bust should be more delicate, graduating from small to large as they make their way down the torso. And where is the skirt? Too short. This dress is out of proportion. less

WORST: Love the colors on Mao Asada of Japan in the team skate on Feb. 8, but the neckline's too bare and the floral appliques on the bust should be more delicate, graduating from small to large as they make ... more

Photo: Ivan Sekretarev, Associated Press

WORST: Love the colors on Mao Asada of Japan in the team skate on... Photo-5910691.80334 - NewsTimes

Image 11 of 30

BEST: USA's Gracie Gold performed during the short program in blue dress with ombre arms. She looks classic, like Grace Kelly.

BEST: USA's Gracie Gold performed during the short program in blue dress with ombre arms. She looks classic, like Grace Kelly.

Photo: Matthew Stockman, Getty Images

BEST: USA's Gracie Gold performed during the short program in... Photo-5944558.80334 - NewsTimes

Image 12 of 30

WORST: Black Swan meets Black Sabbath. What was Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu thinking with this ruffle-and Spandex mismatch? It didn't stop him from winning the gold, but he gets major deductions for his lack of style. less

WORST: Black Swan meets Black Sabbath. What was Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu thinking with this ruffle-and Spandex mismatch? It didn't stop him from winning the gold, but he gets major deductions for his lack of ... more

WORST: He may be, as Scott Hamilton said on TV, the best men's skater who ever lived, but Evgeny Pluschenko of Russia looks right out of "Dancing with the Stars" in his faux plunging neckline and sparkly accents. It threatens to diminish his commanding grace and athleticism. What's Russian for "less is more"? less

WORST: He may be, as Scott Hamilton said on TV, the best men's skater who ever lived, but Evgeny Pluschenko of Russia looks right out of "Dancing with the Stars" in his faux plunging neckline and sparkly ... more

Photo: Matthew Stockman, Getty Images

WORST: He may be, as Scott Hamilton said on TV, the best men's... Photo-5910694.80334 - NewsTimes

Image 14 of 30

BEST: Oh God. Literally. Pairs skating gold medalists Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia skate to "Jesus Christ Superstar" in outfits that are free of beading and that seem to reflect flowing garb from millenia past. Elegant, proportional and flowing. less

BEST: Oh God. Literally. Pairs skating gold medalists Tatiana Volosozhar and Maxim Trankov of Russia skate to "Jesus Christ Superstar" in outfits that are free of beading and that seem to reflect flowing garb ... more

WORST: Skating to the "Pink Panther," Germany's Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy took the costuming a bit too literally in the pairs competition Feb. 11. With apologies to the late Peter Sellers, this Pepto Bismol pink unitard and neon blue military jacket combo is as bumbling as Inspector Clouseau. less

WORST: Skating to the "Pink Panther," Germany's Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy took the costuming a bit too literally in the pairs competition Feb. 11. With apologies to the late Peter Sellers, this Pepto ... more

WORST: Skating to the "Pink Panther," Germany's Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy took the costuming a bit too literally in the pairs competition Feb. 11. With apologies to the late Peter Sellers, this Pepto Bismol pink unitard and neon blue military jacket combo is as bumbling as Inspector Clouseau. less

WORST: Skating to the "Pink Panther," Germany's Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy took the costuming a bit too literally in the pairs competition Feb. 11. With apologies to the late Peter Sellers, this Pepto ... more

BEST: Pairs silver medalists Fedor Klimov and Ksenia Stolbova of Russia, who performed to "Addams Family" music (only a tiny bit contained the finger-snapping TV theme). The look is clean and coordinated, but not overly matchy. You can almost imagine Fedor kissing Ksenia's arm, like Gomez did to Morticia. less

BEST: Pairs silver medalists Fedor Klimov and Ksenia Stolbova of Russia, who performed to "Addams Family" music (only a tiny bit contained the finger-snapping TV theme). The look is clean and coordinated, but ... more

BEST: Gold medalist ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the U.S. performed to "Scheherazade" during their free dance earlier this week. The bejeweled outfits are costumey, but reflected royal glamor in the story of a Persian queen who who told an entrancing story to her king to stay alive. The outfits also fit properly. Other skaters should enlist their tailor. less

BEST: Gold medalist ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the U.S. performed to "Scheherazade" during their free dance earlier this week. The bejeweled outfits are costumey, but reflected royal glamor ... more

WORST: Bronze pairs medalists Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany competed in the long program in outfits a world away from their Pink Panther costumes earlier in the competition. Tradition rates big with judges, but they look a little boring and fussy, don't you think? Hard to get a read on this couple with all their see-sawing. less

WORST: Bronze pairs medalists Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy of Germany competed in the long program in outfits a world away from their Pink Panther costumes earlier in the competition. Tradition rates big ... more

WORST: China's Qing Pang and China's Tong Jian performed admirably, but their costumes, tied to the "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables, are overly costumey (she looks more like Xena, Warrior Princess, without a bow and arrow.) less

WORST: China's Qing Pang and China's Tong Jian performed admirably, but their costumes, tied to the "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables, are overly costumey (she looks more like Xena, Warrior Princess, ... more

BEST: Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia skated to the "Black Swan," and here, theatricality with a black swan costume works. They look sharp and balletic in their ice dancing program in the team competition on Feb. 9. less

BEST: Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapov of Russia skated to the "Black Swan," and here, theatricality with a black swan costume works. They look sharp and balletic in their ice dancing program in the team ... more

WORST: These overly dramatic costumes -- campy, actually -- were worn by Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy and belong at the opera, not on the ice, even though they skated to "Romeo and Juliet."

WORST: These overly dramatic costumes -- campy, actually -- were worn by Charlene Guignard and Marco Fabbri of Italy and belong at the opera, not on the ice, even though they skated to "Romeo and Juliet."

BEST: French ice dancers Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat performed to "The Little Prince and his Rose" on Feb. 17, and they looked as poetic as the watercolor illustrations in Saint-Exupery's tale.

BEST: French ice dancers Nathalie Pechalat and Fabian Bourzat performed to "The Little Prince and his Rose" on Feb. 17, and they looked as poetic as the watercolor illustrations in Saint-Exupery's tale.

WORST: The USA's Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay performed in the pairs free skate program to "Les Miserables" and tied their clothing to the period, but she looks more like a can-can dancer and he looks like a pirate. less

WORST: The USA's Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay performed in the pairs free skate program to "Les Miserables" and tied their clothing to the period, but she looks more like a can-can dancer and he looks ... more

WORST: She won a gold medal in Calgary in 1988, but East German figure skater Katarina Witt, who is a classic beauty, veered a bit too far toward the folkloric, looking back on this outfit through the lens of 2014. less

WORST: She won a gold medal in Calgary in 1988, but East German figure skater Katarina Witt, who is a classic beauty, veered a bit too far toward the folkloric, looking back on this outfit through the lens of ... more

Photo: DANIEL JANIN, AFP/Getty Images

WORST: She won a gold medal in Calgary in 1988, but East German... Photo-5910706.80334 - NewsTimes

Image 26 of 30

BEST: Bay Area native Peggy Fleming, who won the gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble, France, cuts a fine figure in a simple dress with clean lines in a springlike color that contrasts pleasantly with her dark hair. less

BEST: Bay Area native Peggy Fleming, who won the gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble, France, cuts a fine figure in a simple dress with clean lines in a springlike color that contrasts pleasantly with ... more

Photo: STAFF, AFP/Getty Images

BEST: Bay Area native Peggy Fleming, who won the gold medal at the... Photo-5910707.80334 - NewsTimes

NEITHER BEST NOR WORST: American figure skater Debi Thomas, a Stanford student at the time of the Calgary Olympics in 1988, created a scandal by appearing in a unitard on ice. Unitards were banned for many years, until the ban was lifted recently. less

NEITHER BEST NOR WORST: American figure skater Debi Thomas, a Stanford student at the time of the Calgary Olympics in 1988, created a scandal by appearing in a unitard on ice. Unitards were banned for many ... more

BEST: American gold medalist Dorothy Hamill skates in a classic dress with long sleeves in the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck. This was reportedly the last year that skaters wore homemade outfits, before embracing designer costumes. Hamill's real fashion statement was the hairdo, later known to salons across America as "the wedge," and adopted by millions of women and girls (this writer included) after the televised games. less

BEST: American gold medalist Dorothy Hamill skates in a classic dress with long sleeves in the 1976 Olympics in Innsbruck. This was reportedly the last year that skaters wore homemade outfits, before ... more